War Graves in Norway

Found a site that may interest you regarding commando raids on Norway.

Commando operations in Norway

Tom

 

Found a site that may interest you regarding commando raids on Norway.

Commando operations in Norway

Tom

Thanks Tom. Excellent site.

 

Operation Freshman: Two pilots of the Gliders were Australians.

Norway

Operation Freshman was an attempt to deliver a small force by glider to destroy the hydro-electric power station at Vermork, in Telemark, Norway, where heavy water was being produced for German atomic research. Two gliders containing men of the Royal Engineers towed by two Halifax bombers, set off on the night of 19-20 November 1942. The mission was a disaster. One Halifax and both gliders crashed in southern Norway. The occupants were either killed in the crash or subsequently executed by the Germans in compliance with Adolf Hitler’s notorious ‘commando order’. The order denied members of enemy ‘special forces’ any protection under the terms of the Geneva Convention and Allied commandos were to be executed as soon as they were captured.

Two of the glider pilots were Australians attached to 38 Wing RAF: Pilot Officer Norman Arthur Davies, of Melbourne, Victoria, and Pilot Officer Herbert John Fraser, of Bendigo, Victoria. Davies and Fraser are buried in adjoining graves at Stavanger (Eighanes) Churchyard, Norway. The two Australians are commemorated on a memorial at Skitten Airfield, near Wick in Caithness, Scotland.

Photos of the RAAF lads on the plaque.

The headstone, Grave yard and Church photos are bitmaps and the system is set at less than 20k? so I cannot show them. JPEG's are set at 95MB?

 

Geoff
Can you send them to me? I think hotmail will allow that big!

Andy

 

Geoff
Can you send them to me? I think hotmail will allow that big!

Andy

On their way!

cheers

Geoff

 

Diane

All of them!!

Andy

 

Found a site that may interest you regarding commando raids on Norway.

Commando operations in Norway

Tom


This site also got a good forum that recently helped me a lot on cemeteries in Norway....I am looking for Norwegians KIA in Holland and now buried in Norway, but they gave me some good links:

Cemeteries in Trondheim, Norway

http://www.disnorge.no/gravminner/index.php?language=engelsk. (for Norwegians mainly)

 

Geoff and Andy,

Wondering what is still outstanding in Norway - would you mind checking and posting - cemetery names only?

Thanks,
D

I have IGs in

HARSTAD CEMETERY
NARVIK NEW CEMETERY
SALTDAL MAIN CHURCHYARD

Missed this (I think) however these are the cemeteries.

KRISTIANSAND CIVIL CEMETERY RISOR CIVIL CEMETERY SYLLING CHURCHYARD

One burial in each. one RAAF and two Aussies who were in the RAF.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Geoff, I think we shared a PM or two over it. But, my attempts on another site came to nothing ... sorry I forgot to update either you or Andy on the lack of result.

Stevin,
Thanks very much for that link - reps on the way.

Regards,
D

Thanks D,

I do remember something however it was just after Mum died and everything seemed a little insignificant at the time.

 

Stevin/Diane
Thanks for that I will have a good look in the next few days!

Andy

 

Harry

They were part of 1st Airborne Division who were flown in on Operation Doomsday, the liberation of Norway. As far as I can recall it was an aircrash though the reason for the crash escapes me. It is possible that some were surviviors of the Battle for Arnem (Op Market Garden) which makes their deaths, after hostilities were over even more sad

Andy

Andy, I have just found the reference to "Doomsday" and its task.

RAF No 38 Group had the immediate task on 8 May 1945 of transporting 7000 troops and 2000 tons of stores into Norway, the principal centres to occupy, being Oslo,Stavenger and Kristiansland.The operation was to be carried out in four stages between 9 May and 13 May but the weather proved to be so severe that the operation was delayed by 36 hours.I think that the operation must have included gliders for it is recorded that only two of No 644 Squadron Halifaxes made it to Norwegian airfields.One landed at Fornebu,four miles south west of Oslo and were unperturbed at being the only Allied aircraft to land at Fornebu.Unloading their jeep, the RAF crew with pilot, P.O. Barr in charge,drove into Oslo.

It would appear that the casualties of 10 May are included from No 38 Group its first day of operations into Norway. (Geoffs search engine may reveal the RAF casualties over the operation period.) Supply support by RAF No 38 Group continued throughout May 1945.

Earlier on the 8 May,the day hostilities ceased, RAF No 38 Group flew No 1 Airborne Division into Copenhagen,using Halifaxes and Stirlings supplemented by USAAF 9th Airforce C46s.

 

Harry
I have meant to add to this thread but just completely forgot. I think somewhere I have the complete Operation Order etc for Op Doomsday. I would post it but I think it would take me about a month alone to scan all the documents!

Andy

 

Andy, Do you have this man? Done thanks to Stormbird.

OSLO WESTERN CIVIL CEMETERY Norway

1st Airlanding Sqdn Reconnaissance Corps

Serjeant GEORGE KAY 1. C. 3.

Cheers
Paul

 

If I might add a request for help in relation to a 422 RCAF Air Gunner buried in Trondhein's Stavne Cemetery.

Claude Senton Air Gunner 422 RCAF killed on 24/5/44.
Buried in , A IV British. K. 10.

Claude's Sunderland was shot down by U-921 , his body and some wreckage washed ashore were the only traces found.

 

A picture of Bernard Warburton-Lee's Headstone/Name. British Plot IV. B. 9. Ballangen New Cemetery, Norway.

Many Thanks
Andy

Found on Find a Grave.

 

Does anybody know how many SOE/Commando raids there were on Norway during the war? And is there a description of those operations anywhere?
Thanks.

Unaware of whether you got a satisfactory answer.
They are all listed in William MacKenzie: The Secret history of the SOE